Slovenian doctors unveil new breast reconstruction technique

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Few things can be as overwhelming for a woman after a mastectomy as asking
herself what comes next. Losing a breast to cancer can be a traumatic experience,
especially when chemotherapy or radiation treatments temporarily take your hair
and overall health away. However, breast reconstruction has helped thousands of
women start feeling complete again, and a group of Slovenian doctors have announced a new form of the surgery.

Researchers at the Ljubljana UKC Hospital created a breast reconstruction operation that uses laser scanning to
make a 3D mold of a woman's healthy breast. The procedure, which is only intended for women who have had a
single mastectomy, uses a mirror-image version of the scan-based mold as the basis for a new breast.

When performing the so-called "mold reconstruction," doctors use liposuction to take abdominal fat and inject it
beneath the pectoral scar.

Women who do not have enough fat tissue for the surgery can receive an implant or have a back muscle
transplanted to her chest. In all cases, the 3D mold is used to ensure breast symmetry.

So far, the hospital reports eight mold reconstructions, all of which were successful.

MENTOR® MemoryGel® Breast Implants, MemoryShape® Breast Implants, and Saline-filled Breast Implants are indicated for breast augmentation – in women who are at least 22 years old for MemoryGel® Implants and MemoryShape® Implants, and at least 18 years old for Saline Breast Implants - or for breast reconstruction. Breast implant surgery should not be performed in women with active infection anywhere in their body; with existing cancer or pre-cancer of their breast who have not received adequate treatment for those conditions, or who are currently pregnant or nursing.

The most common complications with MemoryGel® Implants, MemoryShape® Implants, and Saline-filled Breast Implants include reoperation, capsular contracture, asymmetry, breast pain, implant removal, wrinkling, ptosis, and implant rupture and deflation. Detailed information regarding the risks and benefits associated with MemoryGel® Implants and MemoryShape® Implants is provided in patient brochures available from your surgeon or on line at www.mentorwwllc.com. For more complete safety information click here.